Fiordland National Park is home to some of New Zealand’s most remote, pristine and dramatic landscapes, and the lakes you will find here are no exception. Whether your goal is to shoot mirror-like reflections at sunrise with little or no effort to get there, or you want to be rewarded by incredible elevated alpine views after hiking in the back country, these 9 unique lakes in Fiordland should be on your must-visit list.

1. Mirror Lakes

📍Location: Milford Road, 40 min from Te Anau

Mirror Lakes is the first lake you’ll reach when heading north from Te Anau, approximately 40 minutes along the Milford Road. It’s a popular spot for tour buses to stop with an easy 5 minute boardwalk loop from the roadside, so if you can plan to be there early in the day, you’ll not only beat the crowds but have the opportunity to capture the reflections of the Earl Mountains lit up by the sun and reflected in the small lake. My favourite composition is to photograph the mountains framed by the beech forest that surrounds the boardwalk.

It is also a unique location to shoot astrophotography, with the arch of the Milky Way dropping down behind the Earl Mountains, we experienced some incredible air glow while shooting this panorama between 2am-4am on a midwinter night in July.

2. Lake Gunn

📍Location: Milford Road, 1 hour from Te Anau

Lake Gunn is an easy stop on the road to Milford Sound, accessible right from the carpark at the northern end of the lake, and it is photogenic at any time of the day, though in the middle of the day you’ll have the most light on the hills, at sunrise and sunset much of the lake will be in shadow.

The proximity and height of the surrounding mountains means Lake Gunn is often incredibly calm, with perfect reflections of the beech forest and nearby peaks.

For an authentic Fiordland forest experience, you can also take the 1.5 km, 45 min nature walk loop from the southern end of the lake accessed from the Cascade Creek campsite.

3. Key Summit Alpine Tarn

📍Location: The Divide, 1 hour from Te Anau

🥾 3.5km (one way), 400m elevation (approx 3 hour return)

The hike up to Key Summit is part of the Routeburn Track, one of NZ’s best Great Walks, but it is easily doable as a half day walk, or even as a sunrise hike if you don’t mind an early start. The walk up is a gradual climb on a well-graded track through stunning Fiordland beech forest.

While technically not a true lake, the alpine tarn at Key Summit is effectively a mini lake, perfectly reflecting Mount Christina and the Darran mountains when they catch the first light at sunrise, though expect very cold sub-zero temperatures if you visit in winter, and you may even find the tarn partially or fully frozen! There are also 360 degree panoramic views from here towards the Humboldt mountains to the east and the Hollyford River valley to the north from the track on the way back down.

My favourite time of day to be here is sunrise, simply because the light is lovely on the peaks, and seeing the first light caught on them is pretty special. If you came for sunset you’d have the sun going down behind the peaks which would be much harder to shoot with a higher dynamic range and the peaks themselves would be in shadow. On our last visit here, we could actually see the tarn getting more frozen during the hour or so we were up here for sunrise, proof that the temperatures were rather chilly!

4. Lake Marian

📍Location: Lower Hollyford Road, 1.25 hours from Te Anau

🥾 3km (one way), 400m elevation (approx 4 hour return)

The Lake Marian hike is a more demanding hike on an more advanced tramping track, but the rewards are certainly worth it. If you are pushed for time, you can just walk up to the Marian river rapids viewpoint (an easy walk) which is only about 15 minutes from the carpark.

The lake itself is situated in a hanging valley surrounded by peaks towering up to 1500 metres above, and visiting in winter almost guarantees snow on the peaks and the sound of avalanches coming down the steep hillsides, and if you are lucky the sound of the kea (NZ’s native parrot) flying overhead.

Due to the height of the surrounding mountains, it can be tricky to frame the entire scene in a single shot, so I recommend shooting a vertical panorama (5 frames across) at 16mm to get more height above the mountains. Using a circular polariser when shooting by the lake edge will also allow you to see through to the rocks below the surface as well.

5. Lake Mackenzie

📍Location: Routeburn Track (accessible from The Divide)

🥾 11km (one way), 915m elevation (approx 8-10.5 hour return)

To reach Lake Mackenzie requires a full day’s hike, and it would be beyond many people’s ability (including mine!) to hike in and out in the same day. And since the hut at Lake Mackenzie is part of the Routeburn Track, you may struggle to find space to stay during Great Walk season (November - April) but is always worth checking current availability online as spots do open up all the time with cancellations. It’s also not recommended to do this hike during May - October as bridges on the track are removed due to the avalanche risk which significantly increases the complexity of the hike.

If all that hasn’t put you off, then expect amazing scenery on the hike to the lake including elevated views above the Hollyford valley, and the majesty of a close up encounter with Earland Falls. I have only visited the lake once while hiking the Routeburn Track (in fairly poor weather) but it is high on my list to return again!

6. Lake Te Anau

📍Location: Te Anau (lakeside viewpoints)

Te Anau is NZ’s second largest lake by surface area (after Lake Taupo) and the third deepest at 425 metres (after Hauroko and Manapouri). Like many South Island lakes, it forms a cryptodepression which means that a portion of the lake is below sea level, and it is also unusual that it has 3 inland fiords (technically arms) which run west into the Fiordland mountains. With the road north to Milford Sound running alongside the lake for almost 30 kilometres there are plenty of viewpoints to photograph the lake and surrounding mountains, but the easiest and potentially most photogenic spot is right in Te Anau itself at the jetty also known as Marakura Wharf. The angle of the wharf means you can shoot at either sunrise or sunset for great views towards the Murchison Mountains.

lake te anau jetty sunrise — Sunrise from Te Anau Jetty toward the Murchison Mountains

te anau sunset mood — A moody evening from the Te Anau Jetty

7. Lake Manapouri

📍Location: Manapouri, 15 min from Te Anau

Lake Manapouri is only a short 15 minute drive south from Te Anau, and is the departure point for day and overnight trips to Doubtful Sound. There are no jetties on the lake to photograph from, but there is a long stretch of beach (named Frasers Beach) running parallel to the road so you can easily access the lakeside. This location is best shot with a telephoto zoom across the lake towards the Hunter Mountains.

📍Moturau Hut, accessible from Rainbow Reach

🥾 6km (one way), flat (approx 3 hour return)

If time is on your side, you could also take a day (or overnight) trip to Moturau Hut (on the Kepler Track). The views and angle from the lake here are very different to what you’ll see from Manapouri, and the beech forest along this easy track is spectacular. There’s also a small lake (Spirit Lake) to visit along the way.

8. Lake Monowai

📍Location: Monowai DOC Campsite, 1 hour south of Te Anau

Lake Monowai is one of Fiordland’s less visited gems, though still only an hour’s drive from Te Anau. There is a campsite here surrounded by native forest so you can stay right by the lake for easy sunset and sunrise access. A short walk 15 minute walk through the forest (which is so beautiful!) will take you to a viewpoint, and if you are willing to clamber down the bank you’ll find some interesting compositions amongst the sticks poking up from the lake.

There is also easy access along the boat ramp to shoot across the lake including colourful rocks to include in the foreground or in the opposit direction you can capture the reflections of kahikatea in a still part of the river.

lake monowai godlen morning — Lake Monowai Sunrise

9. Lake Hauroko

📍Location: Lake Hauroko Public Jetty, 1 hour 40 south of Te Anau

Lake Hauroko is the most remote of all the Fiordland lakes accessible by road (with the last 20km on winding gravel road), and at 462 metres deep, it’s also New Zealand’s deepest lake. The name ‘Hauroko’ means howling wind in Māori, and it has a reputation for sudden and unpredictable wind whipping up from nowhere, there are even signs at the lake warning boaties to take care if heading out on the lake. In 1967, the fully intact 300-year old remains of a high ranking Māori woman were found on Mary Island, known now as ‘The Lady of the Lake’. There is certainly a spiritual feeling to this place, and the silence we experienced here was so intense, you could actually FEEL it.

Despite its wild reputation, we experienced nothing but calm serenity during our time here, which certainly elevated the experience for us. Our time here was close to perfect apart from the relentless sandflies, so be sure to take some heavy duty bug spray or a head net to make the experience a little more enjoyable!

The jetty can be prone to flooding during periods of high rainfall, but we experienced the opposite with easy access to walk in both directions along the shoreline. We spent a night in the area in order to shoot sunset, astrophotography and sunrise and had the entire place to ourselves - it really felt like we could have been the only people in the entire country!

The official DOC campsite to stay near the lake is called Thicketburn and is in a clearing only 10 minutes from the lake, which allows for easy access for sunset and sunrise, and is likely to be less sandfly infested too! There is a lookout track (approx 4 hours return) accessible from the lake, which will give you incredible views over the nearby Fiordland mountains and all the way to Fouveaux Strait on a clear day but we didn’t have time for exploring that far on this visit, and we were so enchanted by the lake and forest surrounding the lakeside we had more than enough to photograph without going further afield.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re looking for easily accessible roadside gems like Mirror Lakes, Lake Gunn or the jetty at Te Anau, half or full-day hiking adventures to Key Summit, Lake Marian or Mackenzie, or the solitude found in the remote backdrops of Lake Monowai or Hauroko, Fiordland’s lakes offer endless variety for unique scenery and compositions. Whether you’re chasing light, reflections, or simply the peaceful sound of water lapping against the shore, these locations offer endless photographic opportunities and the chance to create unforgettable memories.

For more epic Fiordland photography locations, check out: 11 Epic Photography Locations in Fiordland

Want to join me on a future Fiordland photography workshop? Check out: Current Landscape Photography Workshops.

Keen to purchase a Fiordland image on print or canvas? Browse the range of available images in my Fiordland Gallery or get in touch to purchase images from this post.

9 Lakes to Photograph in Fiordland, NZ